HarryGotLeftBehind
by whyAllee
Summary: Harry received a letter, something strange is going on at Hogwarts. Where is everyone going? There really is a new chapter today! Yay new chapter! It may not seem like there is, but that's because we are replacing the old author's notes with new chapters.
1. 1

Disclaimer: We do not own Harry Potter, it's slightly illegal to own slaves in this country. As I'm sure most of you could guess we would much rather have Draco Malfoy or Fred/George Weasley, etc. for our personal slaves…(wink, wink) Besides, I'm far too anti-social to be famous.

**_Harry Got Left Behind_**

**Chapter 1: Summer of Letters**

It was a relatively uneventful night on Privet Drive. No parties, no loud music, no unusual visitors. Each family stayed peacefully and completely oblivious in their own little world. No one noticed as an owl flew overhead and into a second story window at No. 4 Privet Drive. For the past seven years the entire street failed to notice the strange comings and goings at that particular house and thus remained quiet and…_normal_.

Harry Potter had been awaiting his customary pre-term letter for a couple of weeks and finally with only a couple of weeks remaining before term was to begin an Hogwarts owl arrived with a rather large envelope. *I hope this doesn't mean a long list of texts for the year. I certainly don't want to spend the entire year reading!* harry thought as he cautiously unsealed the envelope and read the first piece of parchment:

_Dear Mr. H. Potter:_

_We are sorry for the delay in this year's letter's arrival but a few events caused some urgent changes in preparations for the coming term. The enclosed letter is to be delivered to your parent/guardian explaining said changes._

_First and foremost, welcome to your seventh and final year at __Hogwarts__School__ of Witchcraft and Wizardry! This year should prove to be the most challenging but also quite rewarding._

_Secondly, the following is a list of texts needed for your seventh year at Hogwarts:_

_The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 7)_

_Advanced Transfiguration_

_Death Omens: What to Do When You Know the Worst Is Coming_

_As a reminder, the school year starts on September the first and the Hogwarts Express departs from King's Cross station at __eleven o'clock__._

_You will find that the enclosed letter for your parent/guardian is unreadable to any person under the age of eighteen. Please do not attempt to break the spell and promptly deliver the letter. When the letter has been marked and signed you will be asked to deliver it to Hogwarts the first day of term._

_Thank you,_

_M. McGonagall_

_(deputy headmistress)_

_and___

_A. Dumbledore_

_(headmaster)_

Harry could not help but wish that his godfather were still alive. He would have sent the parchment to him, but now he would have to face the Dursley's with it.

Harry waited a whole week before he asked Uncle Vernon to look at the parchment. Vernon Dursley had read the parchment a few times over and declared, "Even your precious…school…doesn't trust you. How fitting." Vernon had signed the paper with a smirk and placed a check on the lower right side of the parchment before handing it back to Harry.

Draco Zaltys Malfoy was hunched over a piece of parchment, writing rapidly with a crazed look on his face. One would expect him at any moment to start laughing and scream, "Welcome to the Land of the Purple Fungus Trees! HAHAHA!"

An Hogwarts owl flew in through Draco's open window, dropped the pre-term packet on his desk, and quickly flew back out the window. Most owls were smart enough to leave the Malfoy manners as soon as possible, the few that didn't, well…

Draco grudgingly left his parchment for the letter. The parchment, now visible to anyone watching was titled:

How To Get Even With

POTTER

die, potter, die

The first three lines read:

Snog Granger

Snog Weasley (accompany with alcohol)

Get Hagrid Fired (must, must, must)

Draco smirked as he read his Head Boy announcement letter and placed his Head Boy badge on his robes. When he got to the mysterious letter he stood up, went to his mirror, promptly told it to "shut the fuck up" and quickly groomed himself. His father would throw a fit if he showed up not looking _perfect_. He then proceeded to take the letter to his father.

Lucious Malfoy was sharpening his knife collection in the dungeons and one could hear whimpering coming from a cell on the left.

"Yes?" Lucious said when his son entered the chamber.

"A letter from Hogwarts arrived for you, sir." Not saying "sir" to Lucious Malfoy would result in being stuck in the dungeon for at least a week.

Lucious read the letter and laughed. "Dumbledore is a fucking moron! He should know all Slytherins with any pride are going." He promptly checked the left side of the parchment, signed the bottom, and resumed sharpening his knife collection.

***

Mandy Brocklehurst, y'all remember her from the first book…she's a Ravenclaw, tiptoed into her father's study. When Mr. Brocklehurst finally looked up from his notes Mandy was leafing through his wonderful volumes on Arithmancy. After spending far too much time discussing said topic Mandy remembered why she was there in the first place and gave her father the letter.

Mr. Brocklehurst read the letter and yelled, "Dotty!"

A little house elf dressed in a ratty, green pillowcase scurried into the room. "Yes sir?"

"Dotty, please go ask your Mistress to come here."

"Yes sir!" Dotty said while trying to bow, curtsy, and back out of the room. Shortly after the house elf's departure a 40-year-old witch found her way into the study.

Before the witch could talk Mr. Brocklehurst said, "Marge, Dumbledore sent this," he handed her the letter, "what do you think?"

After carefully reading the letter she exclaimed, "She has to, this is the opportunity of a life time!!!"

Mr. Brocklehurst marked the left side of the parchment and signed the bottom. He handed the paper to Mandy and said, "Be sure not to forget this when you leave for Hogwarts, you'll need your first day back."

Mandy looked at the parchment, the only thing she could see was a little check mark on the left and her father's signature at the bottom.

*** 

Hermoine Athena Granger was smiling and humming to herself as she packed her Head Girl badge. She couldn't reasonably wear it around muggles, now, could she? She took her letter to her father, being the daddy's girl that she was, and said, "Daddy, there's a letter here from school for you!" In her most chippery voice.

Mr. Granger read the letter, yes he did! After re-reading the letter multiple times with a confused look on his face he said, "OK, if I'm right, they're offering you a chance to…wait, it says I can't tell you what it says! Damn! Would you like to be more challenged for the year?"

"Of course daddy"

"Ok, then that's a yes…" Mr. Granger marked the left side of the parchment and signed the bottom before handing it back to Hermoine.

***

Mrs. Weasley took the letter from Ron and sat down at the kitchen table to read it. Her face paled and she said, "No! Ron, no matter how much you beg, NO!"

"What, mum?" asked a perplexed Ron Weasley.

"No!" she yelled again while checking the right side of the parchment and signing the bottom. She proceeded to wrap her arms around Ron and coo, "My baby, my little baby, no, no, no…"

***

Neville grabbed the letter and ran out of the room, knocking over a poor, defenseless house elf. He continued his trip down the corridor of the Longbottom mansion when he stopped suddenly. He could not remember where his grandmother was. _Damn! Is that a cuss word? Am I allowed to say that? Or rather, think that?_

He turned around and approached the house elf that was still recovering from his fall. "Mr. House Elf, where did you put my grandmother?"

"I did not put your grandmother anywhere, Mr. Longbottom, sir…Mr. Longbottom's grandmother is still in the drawing room. The house elf shrank back against a wall and Neville started to walk away. "Mr. Longbottom, sir, you dropped this paper." Said the elf, offering Neville the letter from Hogwarts. Neville and letter thus proceeded toward the drawing room and Grandma Longbottom.

"Hello, Neville! What are you doing down here? I thought you were supposed to be cleaning your room?" Said Mrs. Longbottom. She was definitely graying, but my goodness…she seemed to be in exceptional shape and health.

"Oh! I'll go do that then!" Said Neville, already without the slightest clue as to why he was there.

"No! Why did you come here?"

"I don't know, I forgot…" Neville trailed off and the old woman noticed the letter in his hand.

"What's that in your hand, darling?"

Neville looked at the parchment and seeing nothing on it said, "A blank piece of paper, grandmother."

"Well, why don't you let me look at that?" Neville handed Mrs. Longbottom the parchment and she exclaimed, "Neville, this isn't a blank piece of paper! This is a letter from Hogwarts!"

"Oh, I forgot about that!"

Mrs. Longbottom read the letter and proceeded to mark the left side of the paper and sign her name at the bottom. She desperately hoped that this would help Neville to become slightly less forgetful and if nothing else it would be a good experience for him. After all, his parents were aurors.

***

By the end of the day every seventh year from Hogwarts had received their letters and had them checked and signed by their parents/guardians…


	2. 2

**Chapter 2: Back to School**

Harry Potter made his way through the throng of students on platform 9 3/4 towards the Hogwarts Express. The scarlet steam engine awaited the students just as it had for the past six years. Harry began to wonder about what he would do the next year without Hogwarts and with Voldemort still trying to kill him. He pushed those thoughts aside and hurried to the train. Some first year yelled, "Is that…Harry Potter?" That was quickly followed by first years trying to surround him and screaming or squealing in delight. _After six years can't people get over the fact that I'm "Harry Potter"?_ This quickened his pace toward the train where he was supposed to meet Hermoine and Ron. Harry was still upset that he was not allowed to stay with the Weasley's at all during the summer and now everyone was staring at him! When he managed to board the train Harry realized his paranoia had reached new heights, he was running away from FIRST YEARS! Just before his face took on a completely crazed look Hermoine found him and dragged him into the compartment Rona and a sleeping Neville were waiting in.

Neville fitfully turned in his sleep as Harry took the seat next to Ron. "What's up with him?" Harry motioned toward Neville.

"Maybe he forgot to sleep last night." The familiar drawl came from the door. There of course stood Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle.

They all jumped to their feet and Ron spat, "What are you doing here Malfoy?"

"I wanted to see if Dumbledore's _favorite students had any idea what was in that letter that was sent to all of the seventh years' parents?"_

They looked at each other; Ron and Harry shook their heads. "No, Malfoy, we do not. Now do you mind leaving?"

"Should have figured. Even smart mudbloods are useless." Draco said as he left the compartment followed by Crabbe and Goyle.

Harry and Ron took their seats again and Hermoine sat next to Neville, who turned over again in his sleep.

"Do you two really have no clue what was in that letter?" Hermoine asked.

"No. The Dursley's were too thrilled to keep it from me and hold it over my head for the rest of the holiday. "

"My mum became hysterical and every time I brought up the letter she would grab me and start saying I was her 'precious baby'." Ron wrinkled his nose in disgust.

"My dad seemed to think it was a god thing. He said something about advancing my studies. I am now terribly confused!" Hermoine threw her head back against her seat and accidentally bumped Neville's head with her hand in the process causing him to jolt awake. "Neville, are you alright?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah. Wow! I remember my dream for once! There was a hippogriff and it was chasing Trevor and…where's Trevor?"

"On your lap." Harry rolled his eyes.

"Trevor!" Neville protectively grabbed the toad.

"Come to think of it…has Trevor wandered away at all since last year?" asked Hermoine.

"Do you mean since Draco caught him?" Ron inquired and Neville became quite pale.

* * *

Several hours, chocolate frogs, pumpkin pasties, and other assorted candies later the train arrived at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

* * *

The Hogwarts Express pulled into Hogsmead Station and students began to pour out of the carts. As usual Harry, Ron, Hermoine and Neville climbed down from the train and began to make their way toward the awaiting coaches. They could not help but notice the first years looking around hopelessly lost and confused by their new surroundings. They found themselves wondering if they were ever so small and clueless as those first years. Of course they could not have been, could they? The four seventh years were jolted out of their reverie by a silky voice that rang through the night air, "First years, follow me. Over here. NOW!"

Shock and horror took over the majority of the second through seventh years still standing on the platform. Some of the students quickened their pace toward the awaiting coaches, some were seemingly frozen in place, but the Slytherins continued as if they ruled the world, with only a slight bit of puzzlement showing through. The already terrified first years were left with only that silky voice calling out to them for direction as all of the older students disappeared or refused to answer their numerous questions while staring off in a stupor.

"Where's Hagird?" asked Harry as the three began to drag the frozen Neville away.

"Dunno," replied Ron, "but those first years are gonna be scarred for life…traveling to Hogwarts for the first time with that slimy git."

* * *

Ashlea Fentin followed the sallow skinned man towards the dock [A/N: there was originally a rather odd author's note here that I no longer understand which probably comes from the fact that I was half asleep at the time and we still continued to write into early the next day. I don't know why, but for some reason I've become slightly sleep dependant. Considering the absence of sleep please excuse the insanity in the following part of the chapter, please?]. There all of the first years sat in some…boats. The strange man looked at a piece of parchment, glanced over all of the new first years, and took his seat in the middle boat. One of the students, obviously muggleborn, exclaimed, "They're moving!" several of the other students giggled or sniggered at this.

The man - Ashlea assumed he was a professor and not some deranged kidnapper (after all, who would kidnap boatloads of eleven year old wizards and witches) - stared with obvious disdain at the boy. [A/N: Yes, I too would enter that sentence in a contest for sentence butchering. Consider my leaving it intact as a form of rebellion against my psychotic contemporary world history professor.] "They tend to do that form time to time."

"Next thing you know he's gonna tell us the stair cases move." whispered another moronic muggleborn. The professor rolled his eyes and several more students tried to cover up sniggers.

* * *

Harry, Ron, Hermoine, and the recovering Neville spent their coach ride speculating about the LETTER and why Hagrid was not at the station this year to greet the first years.

As usual, the coach came to a stop in front of the castle and the four students climbed out. This year there was a large mass of students waiting on the steps to Hogwarts. They joined the throng, others joined behind them, and they all made their way toward the entrance and whatever was causing the traffic congestion into Hogwarts this year.

The group of third years in front of Harry, Ron, Heroine, and Neville quickly went through the entrance leaving them staring at McGonagall, standing next to a table with tow piles of parchment on it and a clipboard. "I will need your letters, please."

"Letters?" asked Neville.

Harry and Ron gave McGonagall their letters, which went into the larger pile, and were admitted quickly with the reassurance that, "All of your questions will be answered tomorrow and it is not terribly important anyway."

Neville handed McGonagall his letter and her mouth actually dropped, she began to choke on her own saliva, and she looked like she just heard that Professor Snape decided to quite teaching and dance for the Royal Ballet. After the shock had dissipated she directed Neville into the Great Hall, carefully placed his letter in the smaller pile, and wrote his name on her clipboard.

Hermoine, now the most confused she had ever been in her life, handed McGonagall her letter. Thankfully, McGonagall smiled, placed Hermoine's letter on top of Neville's, wrote her name on the clipboard, and said, "Please, go take your seat. All of your questions will be answered shortly."

Hermoine followed McGonagall's directions and went into the Great Hall and took a seat in between Harry and Neville, who was trying to remember the strange story about McGonagall…


End file.
